California’s agricultural landscape is dominated by family-owned operations, although slightly less so than the national average.  Photo courtesy of iStock

SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - A new study on behalf of Farm Flavor has identified the states with the most family-owned farms. Data shows that 90.2 percent of California farms are family-owned.

Now more than ever, people want to know where their food comes from. National conversations often center on "Big Ag" and corporate takeover of the food sector but the latest United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Census of Agriculture shows a more nuanced reality on the ground: most American farms are still run by families.

Nearly 95 percent of U.S. farms are family-owned and a large majority are small operations with modest annual revenue. Throughout the U.S., family farms anchor local economies, preserve working lands and sustain community food systems, and in many states, capture the biggest share of sales.

With this in mind, Farm Flavor researchers analyzed the latest USDA data to understand how many U.S. farms are family-owned, how much they produce and which states rely most on family-run farms.

U.S. Family Farms and Sales by Type

Family farms are the foundation of American agriculture. According to the USDA, a family farm is one in which the majority of the business is owned by the principal operator and individuals related to them. Encompassing everything from small, sole proprietorships to large corporate-structured operations driving industry consolidation, family operations make up 94.7 percent of all U.S. farms and are responsible for 80.7 percent of total agricultural output – a striking reminder that America's food system remains overwhelmingly family-run.

Together, small and midsize family farms (those with less than $1 million in annual gross income) account for 90.8 percent of farms and nearly one-third (30.2 percent) of total agricultural output. These farms are vital to rural economies, providing local employment and sustaining communities across every region of the country.

At the same time, large family farms (those earning $1 million or more annually) represent a much smaller share of total farms but contribute more than half (50.6 percent) of the nation's agricultural output. These larger family operations reflect the increasing efficiency and scale of modern production agriculture, especially in commodity crop and livestock sectors.

Farms not owned by the principal operator and his or her family make up only about 5 percent of all farms and contribute 19.1 percent of agricultural output. Altogether, these figures underscore that American agriculture remains overwhelmingly a family-run enterprise, from small diversified farms to large multi-generational operations.

California’s agricultural landscape is dominated by family-owned operations, although slightly less so than the national average. In California, 90.2% of all farms are family-owned, compared to 94.7% nationwide. These farms generate 73.6% of the state’s farm sales, somewhat lower than the 80.7% share nationally.

California has 56,976 family-owned farms out of 63,134 total farms, producing $48.0 billion in sales. Nationally, 1.8 million family-owned farms account for $484.4 billion in sales out of nearly $600 billion total.

One notable difference is scale: the average family-owned farm in California generates $842,650 in sales, more than three times the U.S. average of $269,079, reflecting the state’s larger operations and high-value commodities.

Methodology

The data in this analysis comes from the USDA 2022 Census of Agriculture (the most recent release). To identify the states with the most family-owned farms, researchers calculated the share of farms in each state that meet the USDA's definition of a family farm, meaning the majority of the business is owned by the principal operator and individuals related to them by blood, marriage or adoption. The analysis also compared agricultural output, measured as the market value of products sold, across different farm types, including small, midsize and large family operations as well as non-family farms. All dollar figures were inflation-adjusted to 2025 values, using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index.

The full Farm Flavor report can be found at farmflavor.com/farm/states-with-most-family-owned-farms.